Dispensing machine



Deg 17, 1929.

H. M. KAUFFMAN DISPENSING MACHINE Filed June 11. 1928 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Iris-.5

Illa-.5

WITNESSES: JJL/ W INVENTOR: Err/1y 1., 1" ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 17, 1929 UNHTED STATES HARRY M. KAUFFMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA DISPENSING MACHINE Application filed June 11,

My invention relates to dispensing machines and more particularly to machines for dispensing cigarettes, cigars or other objects the length of which is materially greater than their diameter.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient mechanism for ejecting such objects longitudinally instead of later ally.

According to the invention the dispensing device has a hopper for housing the articles to be dispensed and an aperture in its end wall through which an article is dispensed, a shaft having rotary means for agitating the articles 15 in the hopper, and means on the shaft for moving an article through the aperture when the shaft is rotated.

The invention has been illustrated and will be described as embodied in a cigarette dis- 90 pensing machine.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of a cigarette dispensing machine constructed according to my invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view taken on 25 line 22 on Figure 1,

Figure 3 a longitudinal section taken on line 33 on Figure 2,

Figure 4 a transverse section taken on line 44 on Figure 1,

Figure 5 a transverse section taken on line 55 on Figure 1, and

Figure 6 an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 66 on Figure 4, showing in detail a bearing for the operating shaft.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the device has a casing 10 containing a hopper 11 secured to the casing near the tops of its front wall 12 and rear wall 13. One end of the hopper is closed by a partition 14 and its 40 other end by the end wall 15 of the casing which has an aperture 16 aligning with a trough 17 formed in the bottom of the hopp An operating shaft 18 is rotatably mounted 45 in the casing beneath the hopper and carries 29 an ejecting roller 19 which extends through an opening 20 formed in the bottom of the trough. A slot 21 is formed adjacent the trough to permit an agitator 22, fixed to shaft 0 18, to extend into the casing for preventing 1928. Serial No. 284,376.

cigarettes from clogging and failing to roll into the trough. While one agitator has been found suflicient for keeping the cigarettes in the hopper agitated, I have shown a slot 23 on the other side of the trough and an agitator 24 fixed to shaft 18 and extending through this slot.

The outer end of shaft 18 is preferably journaled in front wall 12 and its inner end is shown journaled in bearings 25 and 26 formed from the material struck out from the bottom of the hopper in forming slots 21 and 23. As best shown in Figure 6, one of these bearings may be formed by cutting the material along three sides and along a part of the fourth side of the slot, bending it downwardly along a line 27 forming the remainder of the fourth side of the slot, and then folding it diagonally along a line 28.

A knob 29 is secured on the outer end of shaft 18 by means of which the shaft may be rotated and cause roller 19 to feed the cigarette lying in the trough outwardly through aperture 16. Agitators 21 and 24, which may be of any irregular shape, have been shown provided with a plurality of cam-like faces 30 for agitating the cigarettes at each side of and above the trough so that the cigarette in the trough may be moved freely by roller 19 and a cigarette allowed to roll into the trough after the preceding cigarette has been ejected through aperture 16. V

A compartment lining 31 is secured to the front and rear walls of the casing and abuts partition 14 and end wall 32, thus forming a compartment 33 which may be provided with a removable receptacle for tobacco, ashes,'ink or the like.

A cigarette lighter 35 of the flint and steel type may extend through front wall 12 and have its casing 36 secured to the bottom wall 37 of compartment lining 31. The outer end .of the lighter is provided with a cap 38 which preferably conforms in appearance to knob Fartit-ion 14, the front wall of hopper 11 and lining 31 may recede from front wall 12 in order to-accommodate a perpetual calendar mounted upon the inside of the front wall and. readable through openings 39, 40, and

; 46 fixed for rotation with a knob 47.

The abbreviations of the days of the week are displayed upon disk 42 and may be viewed through opening 39 while disk 44 displays the names of the months or their abbreviations which may be viewed through opening 41. These two disks preferably rotate close to the front panel while disk 46 rot-ates just behind them as it is of greater diameter and displays numbers from one to thirty-one which are visible through opening 40.

The top; of the casing is preferably closed With a, removable cover 48 which may be provided with molding'49, matching the molding 5.0 around the bottom of the casing, and serving as a ledge; for holdingthe cover securely inplace.

Of course, the dispensing machine illustrated may be modified and changed in variouswayswithout departing from the invention herein set forth and hereafter claimed.

I- claim:

1.. A dispensing machine including a hopper for receiving; articles to be dispensed and having aidischaarge aperture in its end wall; a shaft, rotary means, thereon for agitating the articles in the hopper, and rotary means thereon for moving an article endways through the aperture.

2. A dispensing machine having a hopper for receiving articles to be dispensed; a dispensing aperture in said hopper, a trough in the bottomc of the hopper aligning with the aperture; rotary means at the side of the trough for agitating the articles in the hopper, and rotary means for" moving an article longitudinally of the trough and through the aperture.

3. A dispensing machine having a hopper, for receiving articles to be dispensed a dispensing aperture in said hopper at the bottom of its end wall, an ejecting member extending through the bottom of the hopper in alignment with the aperture for propelling an elongated article endways through the aperture; an agitator extending into the hop per adjacent-the member for causing the articles to move onto said member, and means for actuating the member and the agitator.

4. A dispensing machine having a hopper for receiving articles to be dispensed; a dispensing aperture in said hopper, a troughin the hopper aligning with the aperture; a shaft mounted for rotation. beneath the trough; an ejecting member mounted onthe shaftand extending through the bottom of the trough; an agitator mounted on the shaft and extending through the bottomof the hopper adj acent. the trough, and means for rotatingthesha'ft. I

5; Av dispensing machine having a hopper member on the shaft extending through the bottom of the trough; an agitator on the shaft extending through the slot, and means for rotating the shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

7 HARRY M. KAUFFMAN. 

